A communicable disease is an infectious health condition that must be reported to the New York state and New York City, Nassau county or Suffolk county departments of health, and requires prompt action to control the disease. Examples include:

chicken pox*

hepatitis

measles

meningococcal meningitis

mumps*

pertussis (whooping cough)*

rubella

scabies

tuberculosis

*Must be reported for residential purposes.

Primary Response Team

Academic health care centers

Associate dean of counseling and wellness services

Coordinator of wellness services

Office of the Dean of Campus Life staff/ coordinator of campus operations and student services staff

Office of Housing and Residential Life staff

Secondary Response Team

Office of Communications and Marketing

Office of Human Resources

Office of the President

Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs

Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs

Objectives
To control the spread of disease and provide necessary information to all who may be affected, in compliance with all state/county/city regulations related to communicable disease.

Notification
Follow the established chain of primary responders. The first responder in all communicable disease emergencies should be the medical director of NYIT’s academic health care center for the campus involved and should be notified immediately.

Procedures

For community members:

If you have or have been exposed to a communicable disease, immediately call the academic health care centers:

Old Westbury and Manhattan 516.686.1300

Central Islip 631.348.3254

State that you have been exposed to or have a communicable disease.

Follow their instructions.

For medical director:

Decide proper management of infection control emergency as fits the current situation.

Immediately notify the appropriate departments of health by telephone.

Cooperate with, aid, and assist the primary health agency according to procedures governed by federal, state, and local law.

Initiate emergency response phone chain by calling vice president for health sciences and medical affairs and the vice president for student affairs.

Remain in consultation with the departments of health throughout the duration of the emergency situation.

For primary responders:

Post information and updates in highly visible areas on campus. Include information stating who is at risk, where treatment is available (if applicable), and emergency numbers.

Schedule open forms to quickly and frequently provide information and updates to students and the college/campus community.

Communicate all pertinent information to students, faculty, staff, and family members.

Communicate with students who are participating in off-campus activities (internships, etc.)

Vice president for student affairs will notify the Office of Communications and Marketing to coordinate communications outside of the college community, including interviews with the media.

Follow-up:

Dean of campus life will notify any student(s) and human resources will notify any employee(s) who may present a risk due to infection of steps necessary to receive clearance to return to campus.

Inform student(s) that they must provide written documentation of medical clearance to the dean of campus life prior to returning to campus. Employee(s) must provide written documentation of medical clearance to human resources prior to returning to campus.

In the event of a student hospitalization, the vice president for student affairs or designee will coordinate outreach to parents/guardians as appropriate.